This is a fascinating read and an incredible insight into the life of Anne and her family while they hid out during World War II. Despite the exceptional circumstances of her young life, I found myself able to relate to Anne on so many different levels. Her diary is a detailed reflection of her emotions and feelings about numerous topics such as family, friendship, love, boyfriends, sex: all the things your average teenager may spend their youth pondering and exploring. All of these areas are explored by Anne with the painful honesty of someone who is unable to explore all of her feelings openly in the world, like she should have been able to. The real tragedy of this diary is reading Anne's many aspirations and dreams for her future; the bright future that she should have had. It is with sadness and a heavy heart that we get this unique insight into this wonderful young woman and her life, all the while knowing that her life was tragically cut so short. A really poignant read.

I absolutely loved the second instalment of The Lunar Chronicles. I am SO glad that I started reading this series. It is so entertaining, has strong plot points and I love, love, love the characters.

Scarlet picks up exactly where Cinder left off. We follow Cinder as she escapes from prison with her new found acquaintance Thorne and we see her starting life on the run. We also meet Scarlet and Wolf. Most of the chapters are told from Scarlet's point of view and this is where we see our Little Red Riding Hood references at their strongest. Scarlet is desperately searching for her Grandmother after she goes missing, only to end up on a dangerous journey with Wolf.

Cinder is still my favourite character and I was delighted at the return of Iko in this book as I love her sassiness and general demeanour. I love how humanised she is and she really makes me laugh. There wasn't much in the way of development for Kai here and I am still desperate to learn more about Levana and life on Luna so I'm hoping this will happen for me in the next instalment. I also have the short stories collection to read and satisfy my needs. I really liked the addition of Scarlet and Wolf as characters.

I have to be honest, though, and say that I am not a big fan of Scarlet and Wolf as a romantic pairing as I just feel that it is slightly unbelievable. However, it doesn't take anything away from them as individual characters or the plot of the book as a whole.

GOSH was this full of plot twists. I felt like I was constantly twisting and turning throughout this book and not for one second did I feel bored or let down. This was a seriously fantastic second book in the series and has set us up nicely for a third instalment. I'm really hoping to get some more Cinder chapters in (she's by far my favourite!) as well as learning more about the Lunars and Levana.

Can't wait to start reading Cress!!

This book has easily found its place in my favourite novels of all time. Such a profound read.

Being a secondary school teacher, I have had the pleasure of teaching many pupils with Asperger's and this book really tore at my heart and emotions. Reading a novel from the point of view of this young boy has really given me something to think about. We all view and understand the world in completely different ways, but how often done manage to actually put ourselves in someone else's shoes?

I adored everything about this book, especially the small but significant touches, such as the page numbers. Such a truly wonderful read that I will treasure in my heart for years to come.

It has been a while since a book left me feeling so confused and, I don't know... disappointed?

If I were to read this simply as an autobiography then I probably would have enjoyed it a bit more. There is no doubt in my mind that Caitlin Moran has a great sense of humour. I liked her writing style enough, it was honest and easy to read. However, some of her language choices were far too much for m0. I cringed at times while I tried to understand what could possibly have been going through her mind when she wrote some of these statements.

Some of the points raised by Moran made perfect sense to me and I could relate to her on a few levels. I am still frustrated, though, by the many contradictions that are scattered throughout this book. I didn't feel inspired when I got to the end of this, in fact a part of me felt quite glad to see the final page. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is about this book, but something just didn't sit right with me.

I really enjoyed this touching and hilarious memoir from Tina Fey. I'm glad I chose to listen to the audiobook version as hearing the story in Tina's own voice really made this a great, funny experience. Tina's sense of humour is right up my street and I found myself laughing out loud on more than several occasions throughout this book. I've been a fan of Tina for quite a while now and I'm a big fan of her work on SNL, 30 Rock and her numerous movies. I've always admired her and Amy Poehler's friendship and loved hearing more about their work on SNL. I learnt a lot about Tina from this book, but most of all I have fallen more in love with her. She was honest and critical, poking fun not only at others but also herself and she discusses a wide variety of topics from motherhood and ageism, to breastfeeding and media ideals. I really adored the way in which she explored each topic honestly but with her edgy humour always apparent. I was really pleasantly surprised by just how strong the feminist thoughts were that flowed through this book without it being completely thrown in your face. Tina Fey, I bow down to you.

Huge thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and [a:Robert Bryndza|5763380|Robert Bryndza|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1420378397p2/5763380.jpg] for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am so glad that I requested this arc. This book was even better than I anticipated. I was first drawn in by the beautiful cover and the summary sounded like the exact thing I love when it comes to a good murder mystery. This is an exciting, fast-paced and thrilling ride right up until the last page. From the very beginning I found myself totally engrossed in the story. The detailed descriptions made it very easy to visual this book, which for me, makes it much easier to read.

The story follows the discovery of Andrea Douglas-Brown's body and the investigation surrounding her murder. DCI Erika Foster is our main character and I easily fell in love with her. She's far from perfect, but she's strong, level-headed, fiery and passionate. She's never going to rest until the killer is caught, no matter who gets in her way. The investigation takes plenty of twists and turns: what is Andrea doing in such a back alley pub? Who is the man in the photograph? Why does her sister hate her so much? What happened to Andrea's friend who disappeared off the face of the Earth?

This story had the right level of action, excitement and suspense for me. It was an easy read, thanks to the descriptive writing and characterization. Fast-paced with a good mixture of investigation, police work, behind the scenes glimpses and a few chapters written from the killers point of view. I desperately wanted to know who the killer was and, after a big twist, I was not disappointed! A thrilling read and I'm delighted that we will be seeing DCI Foster in a second book soon!

Tiger Lily is a retelling of the original Peter Pan story although most of the original story is still there, this gives a different view of the story. In this book, we see the life of Tiger Lily through the eyes of our narrator, Tinker Bell. It did take me a little while to get used to the fact that Tink was the one narrating. It seemed like an odd choice considering she cannot speak to any of the characters, but I now think it was a clever choice by the author as Tink narrating was an effective way to move between characters.

This story is written in a simple yet beautiful style which allows the reader to easily create the imagery of the book in their mind. I loved the Neverland created in this book, although I still love the idea of Neverland existing faraway in the clouds rather than just being an island. It was fun to learn about the different tribes and to focus on Tiger Lily as our main character. This allowed me to learn about the Lost Boys and Peter in a different way, to consider the danger of the mermaids and pirates and to learn about the ways of the Sky Eaters. I really liked how the idea of ageing was explored. With the Neverland natives believing they could catch the ageing disease from the Englanders.

I loved Tiger Lily as a character. Learning about her many complex relationships with Tic Tok, the Lost Boys, Peter, Pine Sap and the rest of her tribe kept my interest throughout the book. Tiger Lily is written to be a serious and quiet character, who is also strong, brave, independent and considered by her tribe to be slightly crazy. I loved her development in the story. From a closed young girl, to a more mature, slightly opened young woman. She expresses her feelings for Peter in a non-traditional way and I enjoyed the way new emotions such as love and jealousy were described by Tink as Tiger Lily first experienced them.

I would have liked to see more action involving the Pirates and Captain Hook as the rivalry between Peter and Hook is key in the original tales. However, given that this is the story of Tiger Lily, I can see why they didn't play a stronger role. Smee creeped me out in this book. He is murderous villain who becomes obsessed with Tiger Lily and the suspense created around them when Tink can sense he is near was both exciting and nerve-wracking. I desperately did not want Smee to get his hands on Tiger Lily.

There are some much deeper themes and ideas being explored in this book. There is mention/suggestion of rape, physical violence and suicide. These are dealt with in a subtle way but not fully explored. The end of this book left me feeling deeply saddened, but also with a smile on my face. It felt true to life and I think that is what made it painful. Tiger Lily at least got a happy ending, even if it is not the one she first imagined.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this book. I just felt that somehow I wanted a bit more from it. It's a beautifully written and deeply sad tale about Tiger Lily's life and her relationship with those around her, but most importantly, Peter.

Huge thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and [a:Robert Bryndza|5763380|Robert Bryndza|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1420378397p2/5763380.jpg] for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by summarising this review into one word: WOW!!

I absolutely loved the first book in the DCI Erika Foster series, The Girl in the Ice, and I was bouncing with excitement when I saw the arc for this was available on Netgalley. I read the whole book in less than 24 hours and I'm still reeling from how fantastic this series is.

In The Night Stalker, we once again follow DCI Erika Foster as she heads up the investigation in search of a brutal serial killer. From the very first few pages I was totally engrossed in this story and couldn't wait to see how it was going to unfold. The writing style is so descriptive and interesting that I was easily able to visual the story as I read. A trigger warning should be included here for mention of rape, physical abuse and some very gruesome descriptions. The story takes plenty of twists and turns: why does Erika have to back off from her first suspect? What is the link between the victims? What is the motivation behind the murders? Is the killer coming after her? This is an exciting, fast-paced and thrilling ride right up until the final pages.

I love Erika as a character. I love the fact that she is feisty and hot-headed. She doesn't like to be told what to do and she follows her heart and instincts, regardless of the consequences. This book also confirmed my love for Moss who is an excellent side character in the series, as well as Isaac and Peterson who are equally as interesting to me.

I really, really liked the structure of this book. Most of the chapters are from Erika's point of view, but we also read many chapters from the point of view of the killer (who shall remain anonymous in this review!). I thought it was interesting that around halfway through the book we know who the murderer is because I did not feel at all disappointed. In fact, it made the second half of the book all the more terrifying for me. I could feel myself urgently willing Erika to find out the killer's identity right up until the end of the book.

This is another excellent read in the DCI Erika Foster series and I am filled with hope for future novels in this series. Fantastic detail, gripping suspense and excellent characterization really make this into a wonderful read. I would actually love to see this as a TV series, that's how much I love these characters. More chilling than The Girl in the Ice, this may keep me awake at night. The Night Stalker will keep you thrilled from beginning to end. I highly recommend!

Huge thanks to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Short summary of this review: WOW, WOW and more WOW!

Unlike most others, this was my first experience of a Mary Kubica novel and gosh did she blow me away. It didn't take much longer than the first two or three pages for me to be totally captured by this novel.

There are two sides to every story. The first side we see is that of Quinn. Her roommate Esther has disappeared. Nobody knows where she is, all that Quinn knows is that she left through the window, does not have her phone and she is becoming increasingly concerned about her whereabouts. As Quinn and Ben delve further into Esther's life, they are both surprised and concerned by their discoveries.

The second side of this story is the life of eighteen year old Alex. Alex is going about his every day life working in the local diner when he becomes totally engrossed by the new stranger in town. Pearl, as he names her, is a quiet and mysterious figure and it is not long before Alex is completely obsessed. Little does he know the dark twists and turns his life is about to take.

Throughout my read of this novel, I was totally and utterly obsessed with finding out how these two stories could possibly be relevant to one another. Where was the link? What did Esther have to do with Alex's life? Who was the mysterious Pearl? Would Esther return? Or was she dead? As the suspense grew, so did my level of obsession. I couldn't put this down and I finished it in less than 24 hours.

This is a truly suspense-filled thrilling story from beginning to end. The conclusion of the two stories blew me away and I know for sure that I will be reading more from Mary Kubica soon. I highly recommend this fantastic, thrilling read!

This is a beautiful story about love, loss and hope. I knew how this book would end before I started reading it but that didn't stop me from crying on several occasions throughout this book.

I really liked the writing style. This is my first Jojo Moyes novel and I found myself quickly absorbed in Louisa and Will's world. I liked that most of the book was told from Louisa's point of view. The random character point of views were okay, but at times I felt they weren't necessarily needed.

I loved how this book explored relationships. We see Louisa's relationship with Will develop into such a beautiful, fragile thing. We also see Louisa's broken relationship with her boyfriend Patrick as well as the relationships within her family. I particularly liked the way in which the relationship between Louisa and her sister was portrayed. There was a raw honesty to this particular relationship and I really liked that.

I seriously loved Louisa as a character!! I could easily imagine this ditsy, loveable young woman walking around in the most extravagant, colourful outfits and was able to imagine exactly how Will's face would light up with her around. I warmed to Louisa immediately and by the end of the novel I really wanted to scoop her up in my arms and look after her. Her relationship with Will really touched me. I loved how he consistently fought for her to have a better life, even if it is not the life she ever imagined herself having.

I was expecting this to be a full 'romance in your face' kind of book, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't. Of course there is an element of romance but actually this book is a touching, emotional and, often, gently funny outlook on life and its challenges. It made me think about life and how lucky we are. Love really can be found in the most unlikely of places and situations. This was a really great read and I can't wait to see the movie! I highly recommend you have the tissues ready if you are going to read/see this!